Have you ever contemplated or wondered
the deeper meaning of the very cryptic Torah portion, which extends for nearly
two whole parshas, that describes in detail the spiritual cleansing and
atonement process for the metzora? This mystical procedure involves taking some
of the blood, from the korbon that is offered, and placing it on the right ear,
the thumb of the right hand and the big toe on the right foot. Then the
procedure is repeated applying (olive) oil at these very three same
places?  (Metzora  14:13-30). Let us ask a few more questions. What
could be the possible significance of these specific locations and is there any
way to relate to this supernatural “therapy” that not only heals the physical
tzaraas but most importantly “heals” the blemish on the soul?

              Lastly, why does this holistic healing therapy
literally need to extend from the “head to the toe” rather than focusing just
on the actual place of the physical tzaraas? Perhaps the Torah is teaching us here
that “healing” always needs to be holistic for true rebalancing. Here the Torah
guides the sincere penitent through a non-invasive esoteric transformation that has the power to not only revitalize
the life force of the body but to “heal” the underlying blemish at its root.

               Rav Hirsch explains beautifully
that the blood that is placed on these places of the body to symbolize that
from now on the metzora must improve himself in mind – which is located
opposite the ear, deed – the thumb representing action and effort – the big toe
representing forward movement.

                    Perhaps from this we can
add the following: The (olive) oil, which alludes to the illuminating wisdom of
the Torah, was specifically put at the same place as the blood – which
corresponds to the nefesh – to teach us that Divine healing and illumination
comes through “applying” the Torah to all of our faculties and phases of life:
as it is written “Nar mitzvah – Torah ohr”. 

                Therefore let us take this golden
opportunity, of the reading of these two Parshas of Tazria and Metzora to help
us to always “hear” our inner calling of what is the best thing to “do” at each
“step” of our lives, thereby bringing closer the footsteps of the final
redemption. 

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          Lashon Hakodesh is a holy tongue
with profound meaning.  There is a deep
connection between words that share the same letters even if, on the surface,
the words may appear to be entirely dissimilar. For example, let us examine the
words, oneg and nega.  Oneg
represents a form of spiritual perfection that is expressed as pleasure.
Interestingly enough it is spelled with same three letters as the word nega
– the ultimate antonym of oneg.  Nega
refers to the symptom of the lowest form of spiritual corruption – tzara’as,
which was a spiritual/physical affliction which required its sufferers to be
banished from the camp of Israel. 

                Oneg and nega,
joy and sorrow, undergo surprising transmutations within the diagnosis and
treatment of tzara’as.  The
difference between oneg and nega lies in the position of the
letter ayin, whose migration from the front of the word to the back,
spells the difference between joy and suffering.  It is no coincidence that the ayin is
not only a letter but also is a word that describes our organ of sight – the
eye.  The Torah admonishes us not to
follow our eyes because they can mislead us. 
In the diagnosis of tzara’as, as in our own introspective
techniques, it is only true spiritually guided vision that is reliable.

            The kohen, who is imbued
with spiritual sight, is the only one who could look at a blemished area and
determine whether it was pure or contaminated. 
Thus, when the Torah speaks about a change in the colors of blemished
garments, and dictates which change indicates that purification is taking
place, the word “eino” is used to describe the color.  This word too is composed of the same root
letters as is the word for eye.   Even
the inexperienced will notice that it is this same ayin, whose position
in the words oneg and nega makes the difference between joy and
sorrow that now is the herald of a change of color – a change of spirit.

            The Ramban taught us that the
afflictions of tzara’as are miraculous in that they never occur
naturally. When we lived in Eretz Israel and conducted ourselves
according to Hashem’s wishes, there was always a radiant shine of holiness upon
us. As individuals began to sin, this physical shine disappeared and the tzara’as
began to show in their homes, their garments and on their persons.

               The ayin of oneg and nega reflects
the All Seeing Eye before Whom all conduct and all motivation is transparent
and all spiritual blemishes, visible.  In
this setting, only the acknowledgment of error in attitude and actions begins
the cleansing process.

                  The diagnosis and treatment
of tzara’as when it appears on a Jew is illustrative of this point.   When the tzara’as covered the entire
portion of the sufferer’s skin – the affliction was declared to be pure and the
person was not isolated. However, when it began healing and the healthy skin
appeared on it, that was when the person was declared to be a metzora
and the quarantine, the declaration of contamination and the entire process of
purification would begin (Vayikra 13:14-15).

    
         This seeming
contradiction is explained by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.  He points out that the purpose of the
quarantine is to shock the metzora into recognizing his sinfulness and
doing teshuva.  However, teshuva
is only possible when there is some “healthy” submissiveness to the will of
Hashem.   When the moral corruption is so
complete that submissiveness is totally lacking, then quarantine will not help
the person move toward change and there is no point in isolating him.  He or she is beyond redemption.  

                Nonetheless, this individual is
not completely abandoned but is chastised in a different but equally effective
manner. Although actually afflicted with tzara’as, unlike his fellow
sufferers, he is ignored.  He may thereby
experience a terrible spiritual/emotional isolation and a sense of being cut
off because there is no social structure in place to help him towards
confession and teshuva.  However,
if and when this silent admonition prompts him to do teshuva, some
healthy skin will appear as evidence of this change of heart and then isolation
will help him towards the complete teshuva process.    

               Tzara’as classically was
a punishment for the sin of lashon hara which is the tool of the
skeptic.  The skeptic moves from oneg
to a self-imposed state of nega by casting a baleful eye upon those
around him or her.   Consequently, to
reverse that process, the individual must change his or her way of seeing the
world which can be achieved by judging the person or situation in a favorable
light.

                     The blessing of experiencing oneg
is a gift that comes through living humbly and righteously realizing that life
is an opportunity for proper service in avodas Hashem at all stages,
levels and experiences. Every event in life has deep meaning and positive
purpose even if we cannot immediately see its relevance or value. The lens of
the Torah transforms negative perceptions into positive outlooks.  When we view life through this lens, we are
able to see all of creation as emanating from the Divine will. From this
perspective we can then merit the true bliss of oneg.

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The inspiring ideas of this beautiful Torah thought in Shemos Ki Sisa (34:
29-35), where Moshe Rabbinu received the Divine radiance is found in the
drashas of the Casam Sofar brought from the Yalkut Reuvani and additional
kidushim by one of the Rosh Hayashivot before the 2^nd World War.   In-order to give us a greater appreciation
of the preciousness of the thought for the general reader, I have expanded and
elaborated on them .  

        
There is a fascinating Midrash that informs us of one of the explanations
of how Moshe Rabbinu received the illuminating Divine radiance. When Moshe
finished writing the entire Sefer Torah, as he moved his hand back to his right
side as the ink pen (kulmus) came close to his forehead the holiness of the
remaining few drops (dio) gave Moshe the shine of the Divine radiance.

             Since Hashem knows preciously how
many atoms are needed to create the universe and exactly how much ink is
necessary to write a Sefer Torah, it is asked why were there a few drops left
over on the ink quill?

             Even though this Midrash tells how
Moshe received the shine on his forehead but there is still to ask what Moshe
did to deserve this Divine radiance lights?  An possible answer to this question is found
in the Midrash which informs us that upon hearing that he, Moshe, was to write
about himself that he was ‘the humblest man on the face of earth’ (Bamidbar -Beha’aloscha
12:3), Moshe requested of H. to extract this pasuk from. Even though H.
understood that Moshe didn’t want such a praiseworthy accolade written about
him, the Creator, no doubt, answered him that there are seventy reasons for
everything in the Torah and therefore it was necessary to write this pasuk but
in deference to Moshe’s request the word for humblest – anav – could be written
without a yud (and still maintain its full purpose within the Torah). The
implication thereby being that if the word 
anav is missing (kaser) a letter, the Torah is merely expressing the
fact of Moshe’s status without indicating an aspect of arrogance in his own
writing of these words. Therefore every Sefer Torah is thus written without a yud
in the word anav, however the pronunciation – Crea – of the word is as if it
were written with a yud.

                   We find another place in the
Torah where Moshe would want to modify a word in the Torah. The third Sefer in
the Chumash is named and starts out with the word – ‘Viekra’ – ‘And He called…’
(Vayikra 1:1) This was the Creator’s calling to Moshe from the Tent of Meeting.
In all Sefer Torahs that alef of the word Viekra is written small. The Sages
explain that here also Moshe, no doubt  requested of G-d that the word ‘called’ – ‘Viekra’
– be written without an alef, thereby indicting a lesser degree of Moshe’s
importance in being called at the Tent of Meeting, but Hashem said there are
seventy reasons for each thing in the Torah and this word needs an alef at the
end but out of deference for your sincere humility, the alef can forever be
written small.

            With this informative information
we can now put the seemingly disparate pieces together into a beautiful mosaic
of rich Torah haskafa. The amount of ink saved by writing the Sefer Torah
without a yud and with only a small alef was the exact amount of dio remaining
on the kalmus of Moshe Rabbinu. Since these drops were ‘left over’ because of
Moshe’s sincere effort to maintain his sincere humility, Hashem used
specifically these drops of dio to anoint Moshe’s –metach- forehead as a sign
of greatness and honor of the shine of the Divine radiance. This then helps to
explain a statement of the Sages: “That one who – barach – flees  away from – coved – honor, – coved – honor will
– rodaf – pursue after him.” Moshe, our Shepard, teacher and leader, deflected
at every opportunity the receiving of coved and thereby merited having – coved
– greatness and honor imbue him with the shine of the Divine radiance.  

                  May we merit to learn to
emulate this attribute of sincere humility thereby meriting the final geula
soon in our days.

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                Gershom the son of Moshe was
given this name because his father said ‘I was a sojourner in a strange land.’
This is a message for all of us in our journey during this life. We need to
know that we are  souls not bodies and
should never feel overly attached or bound to anything which is physical or
temporal. At the same time we need to realize that we our helpless to achieve
this goal without help therefore the other son of Moshe was named Eliezer which
the pasuk tells us means: “The G-d of my father came to my aid, and he saved me
from the sword of Pharaoh.” These pasukim can help to enlighten our own
personal lives through teaching us it is not enough even to know and strive for
the truth but we also need assistance in achieving it. Yes, we need to make the
effort as seen in the name Gershom which contains the root letters of to
divorce or  separate oneself from
undesirable lifestyles, but the true salvation comes through turning sincerely
to Hashem who will surely save us. It is that act of self nullification and
selflessness that allowed Moshe Rabbinu to become the great leader yet
remaining humble of spirit.

                 Let us explore another point
that will aid us in our personal service with Hashem. We mentioned that the
name of Moshe’s firstborn son, Gershom, 
and reason for giving it was stated in 2: 22. The Or HaChaim answers the
question why he named this child Gershom – which means: ‘ I have been a
stranger in a foreign land’ and the second Eliezer – which means:  Hashem helps- since the help from Hashem to
allow Moshe to escape Pharaoh took place before Moshe’s exile with this beautiful
idea. Like all righteous people who desire and yearn for closeness to G-d,
Moshe felt like a stranger on earth his whole life.

               By the briss of the second son,
Eliezer, in pusack 4: 25 there is no mention of his name. Only when Yisro brings
his daughter, Moshe’s wife and her two sons to join Moshe in the desert does
the Torah mention the name of the second son and the reason for this name (
Yisro 18: 1 – 8). Why the delay in announcing this name till here?

           Perhaps the reason that Eliezer is
not mentioned by name till now is to teach us that often during one’s personal
feeling of galus (exile or trials) it isn’t yet apparent the help and salvation
that is being offered to us from Hashem. We tend to focus on and view life from
the Gershom perspective – that being feeling like a stranger and almost
abandoned. Although this is not the true prospective as every exile and test is
perfectly fitted to help us achieve new levels of awareness and closeness with
Hashem if we are not exceedingly careful we could fall into this trap of
feeling like distant and not yet strengthened in Hashem salvation. The Torah
now revealing the name of the second son, Eliezer, to teach us a profound
observation into reality. Only now that the Torah was given will each
individual irregardless of their spiritual level have the ability to constantly
see the help of Hashem even within the midst of exile and tests.

           As we emerge from our personal
Mitzraims (narrowness) and journey toward the eternal goals in the proper
service of Hashem, then is more and more revealed that portion of understanding
and clarity that is expressed through the name Eliezer – that being that it was
and will always be the G-d of my father that 
comes to my aid’. May we merit closeness and awareness of Hashem at all
times.

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                “He who recites
the chapter of the (Manna) ‘Heavenly bread’, written in Torah section (Parshas
Beshalach)  (16: 4-36) every day is
assured that he will not lack food” Talmud (Gem. Yerushalmi). The commentator (Levush)
explains that this chapter teaches that G-d provides each day’s substance –
just as He provided the manna each day in the wilderness.

                   Would that we could see with the pure eyes
of a child for whom the world is filled by Hashem with wonder and delight.
Imagine the reaction of the younger members of the generation of the desert (Dor
Hamidbar), who only received their nourishment from the “heavenly bread,”
entered the land (Eretz) Yisrael and saw agricultural produce growing from the ground,
they no doubt considered it a supernatural event.  We, on the other hand, see our food as common
place taking it for granted, but consider the life support system that provided
food, water, and protection to 3,000,000 men, women and children along with
their herds and flocks in the desert for forty years that was truly an open
miracle.  Yet, both systems are part of
G-d’s (Hashem’s) miraculous governance of the world –  a Divine providence (hashgacha) that can be
perceived by us as miraculous if we but choose to take the opportunity to do so.

             The Mann was a wondrous source of nourishment.
The sustenance provided to us in the desert (midbar) did not require the
expenditure of physical effort, nor were needed any of the labor intensive tasks
ordinarily associated with the growth and production of food and its
preparation.  We might, therefore, be
tempted to think that the generation of the midbar was not only freed from the
obligation of earning a living but absolved of all of the challenges related to
this endeavor.  However, such is not the
case.

The unique challenge of the Dor Hamidbar lay in
the fact that they had absolutely no physical control over their food, water or
protection. Thus they were simultaneously confronted with the test of feeling
vulnerable to the elements while at the same time experiencing complete
dependence upon the benevolence of the Creator.

In fact every single necessity upon which their
physical well being depended was not in their “hands”.  They had no fertile land, no rivers teaming
with life, no reservoirs filled with water or towering forests to provide
timber and game.  They had no homes and
no sense of permanency. Although a tremendous surplus of manna fell each day, each
person was allowed to collect only what he or she needed for that day alone. With
the exception of the extra portion that was allotted for Shabbos, the manna was
not permitted to remain for even one extra day for if additional manna was
gathered, it would immediately spoil.  Thus
they were never able to establish any “physical security” or feeling of
independence.  

            Though it would seem
that they were able to obtain manna without effort or exertion, that is far
from the truth. The efforts that the Dor Hamidbar had to make in order to “earn”
their food, was a constant “exercise”  in
(faith) emunah and trust (bitachon) at the highest level, as the Sages inform
us: “Who is strong? One who surrenders his inclination to the will of Hashem.”

The reward for these efforts was a “spiritual food”
that nourished the body by feeding the soul. Like all things spiritual it had
no physical limitations or boundaries and was not the subject of the natural
laws of cause and effect.  Each person
received the same size portion regardless of size or weight and yet each person
felt satiated . (The message to be found within this phenomenon is very
profound in that at the level of pure soul we are all equal and therefore each
individual received the same sized portion.)  However, there were certain differences that
each person experienced dependant on their spiritual level. If the Mann was
left close or far away, and the need of preparation and flavor were based on
the level of one’s righteousness.

  The more virtuous found their portions ready
to eat at the entrance of their tent, while the less upright had to search further
a field and then prepare it according to their needs. These distinctions served
as a daily “bench mark” of one’s spiritual level and thereby served as an
incentive to constantly improve.

          Perhaps we can say that the placement of
the portion of the manna at a specified distance from the recipient reflected
that individual’s level of awareness of Hashem’s governance, the hashgacha
pratis within that person’s life.

        The degree of preparedness of the manna can be
understood as reflecting the dimension of time. The amount of time spent in
excessive preparation is time lost from its potential supernal enjoyment.

             Now
perhaps we can understand why Chazal teach us  that those who recite the section (Perek) of
the Mann every day are  assured that they
will not lack food, because recitation of this chapter is our acknowledgement,  in Divine hashgacha, that it is the Creator who
is the true provider for everything in its right place and proper time.

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               In a few impacting verses (pesukim)
in the beginning of the Book of Exodus (Sefer Shemos) , the Torah sets
in motion the political and emotional forces that were to keep the children of
Israel in bondage for the next two hundred and ten years.  These same forces have operated as a snare
throughout history and are present today, only the stage setting has been
specially designed to lure this generations unwary into its web of spiritual
bondage. The mindset that led to their subjugation in Egypt was their
yearning to be like everyone else – to assimilate into the culture of whatever
country they found themselves in. There are those who in their eagerness to be a
part of the culture, may mistakenly replace their service of the Creator (Hashem)
with loyal service to the governing regime in a manner far beyond and above
that which is required by the ordinary dictates of good citizenship.                     

Pharaoh, who personifies the
Jewish nemesis, the yetzer hara, understood that as long as the Jewish
people were living in accordance with high standard of spiritual development
referred to as the “Children of (Bnei) Israel,” he would not be able to
subjugate them.  They were the
beneficiaries of Hashem’s promise to Avraham our forefather (Avinu) In order to
prevent their assimilation, Hashem transformed the appreciation the Egyptians
previously had into a feeling that the Bnei Israel had become a threat to them.
Pharaoh, then changed its form, face and presentation in order to subjugate the
Israelites and turn them into servants of the state. 

To induce the Israelites to
participate in their building program, the Egyptians hung a brick kiln around
Pharaoh’s neck, inviting the Jews to join him in brick making.  Each man went to work making as many bricks
as possible, which thereafter became the expected quota. The Jews thus became
willing accomplices in their own enslavement, wooed and won over by this appeal
to “love of country.” This technique, oft repeated in Jewish history. 

              Modern society today poses a
different but equally challenging test, by luring its citizens towards the
ephemeral standards of the times. Their value scale of success is graded by
such “yardsticks” as how wealthy and famous one is. The lifestyle that emerges
from this philosophy can be as, if not more, detrimental to spiritual growth
than the servitude imposed by the Egyptians.

          
                              Addicted
to Bondage

By the time the Israelites began
to see the futility and hypocrisy of their alliance with Pharaoh, it was too
late. The Bnei Yisrael were given the task of building arei miskenos,
cities, whose names were Pisom and Ra’amseis. The word miskenos has the
same root as the word miskein which means misfortune or poverty.    Pisom means sudden or
immediate.  It also can refer to the
mouth of the abyss, pi tehom (Midrash Rabba I:10).  Ra’am means loud, like a thunderclap.

            In
our hectic lives, where sudden and immediate claims upon our time are an all
too frequent occurrence, if we are not discerning, we may find that we are
building Pisom.  We may also necessarily
be building Ra’amses, since these calls to duty are usually loud and very
difficult to ignore. One of the ploys of the yetzer hara is to persuade
us that we must accomplish everything we have set out to do which can lead to
feel overwhelmed. Pharaoh well understood that working without respite on
purposeless tasks that could never be completed would weaken the physical,
mental, emotional and most importantly spiritual health of the Nation.

         Acting too quickly and assuming
excessive obligations without enough considered thought as to their value and
purpose can make a person feel as if they are enslaved.  The work was kasha, hard.  This word is related to the word for straw, kash,
to hint to us that work is hard when it is like straw to us, that is, when it
is commonplace and purposeless.   Mortar,
chomer, which in Hebrew also means material, represents that which is stripped
of spiritual content and inspiration. 
Even without purpose and without inspiration we can still produce leveinim,
bricks, but when one works under those circumstances they are reduced to field
laborers (avoda basadeh) deprived of higher motivation, dignity and joy.

                                                            Salvation

But take heart; there is a
way out.  There is an answer that may
surprise us. 

           When we stop and take stock of our
options and our strengths, the time we have, the things we must do in order to
fulfill our obligations as Jews as opposed to those things that we may be doing
to serve some other cultural demand, we may be pleasantly surprised by the
result.  We may be able to simplify our
lives and our goals and live in greater harmony then we ever thought
possible.  The job of the Egyptian
taskmasters was to maximize the burdens upon the Israelites which ultimately
shortened their servitude and enhanced their purification in the caldron that
was Egypt.  It is precisely when the “task masters of
time” bear down upon us that we have the opportunity to cull the necessary from
the unnecessary and focus upon those matters that are essential to our avoda
can be reached by sincerely asking for Hashem’s help in the process. 

This will actualize Pharaoh’s
fear that we will  “go up [be raised up]
from the land.”  “The land” which
represents our physical and mental attachment to this world will no longer have
a hold on us.  When we cleave to Hashem
through His Torah, we will be elevated to a higher level of consciousness
referred to as “the children of (Bnei) Israel.”

The Torah teaches us that the
more the Jewish nation was afflicted the more they increased and spread out.
This means that even during this period when we, as a nation, were far from
reaching the perfect service of Hashem, His Divine Radiance was still with
us.  In the dark and immoral environment
of Egypt,
Israelite slaves, who were deprived of all the benefits that culture and civilization
are thought to bestow, were being forged into a holy nation.  The very harshness of the bondage actually
strengthened the potential in each Israelite, so that when the time was ripe,
Hashem would redeem us. The teaching here is very profound. We do not ask for
tests, but if they come, they can inspire our best performances. From this
spiritual plateau we will not only be free from Pharaoh and Mitzrayim but we
will be able to fulfill the will of the Creator in the holy land of Eretz Israel.

               May we merit this soon in our
days.  

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      After Yaakov and his family crossed the
Yabok River, Yaakov returned  to retrieve pachim ketanim — small flasks.
There, the Sar of Esau confronted him; what followed was the definitive battle
for supremacy between the forces of good and evil. This battle continued to
rage throughout the night until finally, Yaakov emerged victorious at which
point he was informed of what his new name would become.

           The stage was set for this momentous
battle by Yaakov’s interest in recovering some small flasks. What could the
Torah be hinting to when it informs us that the pachim were small? What
relevance does their size have to the lessons in this episode?

             Although many people assume that
“bigger is better”, sometimes we find that very low-key events or small items
actually are the “key” to accessing new horizons of achievement and success.

             A key is a relatively small and
inexpensive item, but it serves to open important doors. Without one’s keys a
person could find oneself without entry into ones own home, car or office.

                Like keys that open physical
doors, the words of holy Torah open mental and spiritual portals, therefore let
us try to “key-in” on the meaning of the name uttered by the Sar of Esau when
he announced: “No longer will it be said that your name is Ya’akov, but YiSRAL,
for you have striven with the Divine and with man and have overcome.”
(Vayishlach 32:29). 

  
      The Creator entrusted the “key”
to insights and wisdom embodied in our holy Torah to Avraham Avinu. This
tradition (“key”) was handed down to his son Yitzchok, who later gave it to his
son Yaakov. Apparently at that time since the Bnei Yaakov were beginning their
transition from a single family into a nation of millions, it was deemed the
appropriate time for the Creator in His infinite wisdom to, so to speak, design
within the developing Bnei Israel a tamperproof supernal combination lock for
the Torah that only the Jewish people could access.

              What is this mystical combination code that
binds us with our unbroken tradition all the way back to the Avos? We know that
a person’s name reveals his or her spiritual essence, purpose and potential. Therefore
it behooves us to unlock one of the deeper meanings within the name given by the
Creator to the entire Jewish nation as well as this same name given for our
holy land. The Ari Z’l  reveals in a few
short words one of the mystical secrets of our national name by informing us
that the five (osios) letters of the name Y’SRAL are the acronym – roshei
teivos – of the names of our three Avos and four Imahos: The Yud of  Yitzchak and Yaakov is coded
within the Yud of Y’SRAL; the S of Sarah within the Shin;
the R of Rivka and Rachael within the Raish, the A of Avraham
within the Alef and the L of Leah within the Lamed. Imbedded
with our Nation’s name and the name of our land is the spiritual genetic
combination of all our Avos and Imahos! The name Y’sral, the “key” –
combination code – to our existence is an example of a single word in the Torah
that contains worlds of meaning and value. 

         May we, the Bnei Y’sral, soon merit the final
geula allowing all of us to once again live peacefully in our promised land –
Eretz Israel.

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         When Hashem
speaks to Avraham saying, Lech Lecha we are privileged to hear the
opening notes of a symphony.  It is a
symphony  that unfolds in the ensuing parshiyos,
weaving together the physical movements and spiritual developments of our
forefathers.  It is for our eternal
benefit, for we, too, are in motion, journeying through our lives, and the
overture for this personal voyage begins right 
here.

         Avraham –
Yitzchak – Yaakov:  What do we notice
about their journeys?  Avraham is told to
leave his land and his people, and he does so never again returning to his
homeland.  When he seeks a wife for his
son, Yitzchak, among his family members he does not go himself but sends a
messenger, his servant, Eliezer.  
Yitzchak remains in the land
of Canaan and his wife is
brought to him.  However, Yaakov does go
back to his grandfather’s homeland to find a wife and in fact lives there for
many years.      

                  The
first thing we need to understand is the nature of the journey.  The journey Avraham Avinu took was not merely
measured in miles, although it did span large physical distances.  Primarily, it involved changes in attitude
and behavior.  Of course, in the case of
Avraham, who began this journey at age seventy-five, the changes in him that
preceded it and that separated him from his family, people and countrymen were
many.  Long before he was commanded to
travel, Avraham Avinu had achieved astounding spiritual heights and an
understanding of Hashem that distanced him from his idol worshipping
neighbors.   Nonetheless, Hashem sent him
away from those bad influences to a place where he would be able to have
positive influence on others.  Avraham
did not return, although he did, in fact, travel out of Canaan,
and Yitzchak, whose level of kedusha made him a worthy sacrifice, never
left Canaan. 
Thus, it was only Yaakov who returned to the place of Avraham’s
upbringing.

                 The reason for these
variations  lies  perhaps in the fact that the spiritual-genetic
legacy of the Jewish ation was not vouched safe until the birth of Yaakov in
the third generation.  Initially, Avraham
Avinu perfected the trait of chessed, loving kindness. With that midda
alone he could not withstand the negative effects of a corrupt
surrounding.   His son, Yitzchak Avinu,
perfected the trait of gevura, restraint and discipline in the service
of Hashem, which served to build a protective shield against foreign
influence.  Yaakov Avinu represents the
harmonious blending of chessed and gevura in tiferes, a
glorious combination of the diverse energies which can face confrontation and
play an influential role.   As such he
embodies the three foundational traits of the Jewish people – Torah, avoda and
gemilus chassadim which  provided
the spiritual and emotional armor that protected him when he returned to the
idolatrous climate of his grandfather’s homeland.

                 Each
of us as we mature and develop have experienced, at some level, our own lech
lechas.   We have all faced
circumstances that have forced us to change our physical locations and jobs and
even our circles of friends to some extent. Hashem’s ultimate purpose in
sending these changes to us is to prod us toward spiritual growth.  These are opportunities that allow latent
energies to blossom so that all of our potential is realized.

               To better understand this process, we can
think about a familiar Chazal that teaches us that we, unlike the malachim,
are in a constant state of spiritual flux. 
We are holchim, “walkers,” and not omdim, set and
stationary “standers.”  Our job is to
keep moving.  Even when we feel achieved
in all or most of the areas of our lives, we cannot rest because if we are not
elevating ourselves spiritually, we will end up going in the opposite
direction.  If we do not continue to make
improvements in our thoughts, feelings and actions, moving up the spiritual
ladder so to speak, then we will, unfortunately, find ourselves slipping back down
that ladder. So, we have no real choice. 
We must journey and it is from the journey taken by our forefathers that
we take our road map.   

                As
we try to move toward a life of enhanced holiness by instituting changes in our
daily habits, we remain vulnerable to a process known to scientists as entropy
or attrition. This is a condition that causes all orderly systems to return to
their former level of disorganization unless prevented from doing so.  In the physical world we see that gardens
must be weeded, rust must quickly be removed from objects and things must be
returned to their proper places before chaos takes over.  This tendency toward entropy, toward a return
to our old ways, our old life styles, can create a serious impediment to
complete spiritual transformation.  Thus,
we may ask whether there is ever a safe time for us to revisit, interact with
and even confront the past?

                    We see that Yaakov Avinu,
who had perfected the three fundamental traits, was able to live for many years
in the home of Lavan, the master of deceit, without compromising his
righteousness.   Yaakov was able to find
and redeem the good and valuable from this unholy environment, bringing out
from this prison of spiritual darkness into the light of day – holiness – his
wives and children, the future foundation of the entire Jewish nation.  Perhaps this why the navi Yeshaya (29:22)
refers to Yaakov as being the one who redeemed Avraham.  Out of the darkness of Avraham’s old home, he
kindled sparks of life which combined into the flame of Israel. 

                However,
we must be very careful when we do a salvage operation, trying to rectify those
parts of our personality that remained unresolved.  We could well stir up the enemy within.  This is precisely what happened when Yaakov returned
with his wives and children.  He
encountered Esav, his twin brother, the personification of the yetzer hara.  Our yetzer haros are our twins – ever
prepared and lying in wait to destroy our achievements and discourage our
advancement.

               For insight into this challenge and to
learn a strategy for overcoming it, we look at the ways that Yaakov prepared
himself to interact with Esav.  First,
Yaakov sent gifts which emanate from the midda of gemilus chassadim –
his spiritual inheritance from Avraham Avinu.  This shows that our goal and aspiration is
not selfish, not to amass for ourselves but to be of benefit – a source of
blessing for whomever we contact.   In addition
Yaakov prepared himself with tefilla, prayer, his spiritual inheritance
from Yitzchak Avinu.  Chazal tell
us that only through our sincere prayers can we overcome our yetzer hara.  When we are tempted, we can imagine that the yetzer
hara is given forty-nine votes to the yetzer tov’s forty-eight.  It is only when we sincerely turn to Hashem
asking for help that He, so to speak, casts the remaining votes in our favor,
allowing us to triumph.  Thirdly, we must
also prepare ourselves to go to battle. Yaakov was prepared for war.   We can go to war against the yetzer hara
using Torah which arms us with the implements necessary to defuse the evil
influences of the world and infuse holiness into those which can be
sanctified.  May Hashem guide us in our
journeys, bringing to the ultimate goal of the final geula, soon in our
days.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

               Upon
awakening from sleep, we resume our life’s journey. From the moment that the
holy Jewish soul is returned to the body, a fresh opportunity is presented to
actualize our lifelong process of growth. How do we achieve this lofty goal?   

The Rabbis (Chazal)
explain that sleep is the period of time when our soul (the neshama) ascends to
the supernal realms. The vacuum left behind causes a temporary influx of what
we call – tum’ah – spiritual impurity. Upon awakening this tum’ah recedes to our
hands with our sages giving us the knowledge of how to remove it by
re-sanctifying our hands.

    But even before we do that, t he
first thing we do in the morning is say “modeh ani”, proclaiming our
humble gratitude to our Creator for showing His confidence in us by restoring
our soul to our body, giving us another day of life in which to fulfill Torah
and mitzvoth. We surely appreciate that the renewal of our life each day is a
gift — a fresh opportunity to actualize our lifelong process of spiritual
growth.  How do we achieve this lofty
goal in a practical way? We will look a bit more deeply into the
spiritual connection between our voices (in which we start the day with “mode
ani…” and our hands(that we wash in a uniaque fashion).

The Malbim
explains that the hands represent the earthly power and might that lie within
the domain of Yaakov Avinu’s brother Eisav; but the voice, which emanates from the
realm of the soul lies within the domain of Yaakov.

 When Yaakov approached Yitzchok for his
brachos, Yitzchok touched him and felt the “hands of Eisav” but heard the “voice
of Yaakov”, and thus made the immortal declaration:  “…hakol 
kol Yaakov —- ve hayadayim yedai  Eisav.” (Toldos 27:  22)

            Looking
more deeply into these words, we come to learn that, according to the Malbim, Hashem
desired that Yaakov be given both spiritual and material gifts and blessings, however,
material blessings would come to Yaakov not by means of natural cause and
effect, but only through hashgacha, through his voice – Torah and supplication
(tefillah). If however, G-d forbid, Torah learning and tefillah were to be diminished
then the flow of material blessings would also decrease. 

         Interestingly, the nusach of netillas
yadayim, the first blessing of the day, provides a profound insight:  “Blessed ( or: The Source of all) are You,
Hashem, our G-d King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments,
and has commanded us on the washing –“netillas yadayim” – of the hands. Notably,
the Sages did not choose for this blessing the word “rechitza” meaning “washing”
but “netilla” meaning “taking”, as 
in the bracha of  the lulov  where we say “al netillas lulav,” on the
taking of the lulov, Perhaps a deeper reason for the selection of this – nusach
 is 
that just as the mitzvah of lulov is accomplished through the  act of “taking hold” of  the lulov, so also do we achieve spiritual success
with the use of our hands – our ma’aseh yadayim –  by  “taking
hold of “ , i.e., controlling and directing  our actions toward the fulfillment of the will
of  Hashem.  May we soon merit to raise our voices and
hands together in a unison greeting the Moshiach and the final redemption soon
in our days.              

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia

                Did you ever ask yourself what
is the deeper significance on a personal level of this weeks cryptic Torah
portion in Parshas Lech Lecha (14: 1 – 24) that relates the story of the four
powerful Kings whose armies after conquering the armies of the five kings took
Lot, the nephew of Avraham, as one of the captives?

                The four aggressive kings can be seen to
allude to the four powerful elements within our personalities, when they have
become our own worst enemies. How so? Just as the world around us consists of
the four major elements of earth, fire, water and air, so also on a microcosmic
level we have these counterpart natural forces within us.

            The earthly
attribute within us can either become the “fertile soil” to cultivate
productivity or if allowed to remain unattended due to idle laziness the
earthly nature within will remain arid and infertile thereby “burying the seeds”
of one’s potential.

            So also do
we find with the attribute of fire within us which can either serve as the light,
heat and energy of our enthusiasm and fervor or turn into a raging
conflagration of “fiery passions”.  

            So too the
attribute of water within us can either be used to quench our spiritual
“thirst” or if not properly channeled become a “tsunami – flooding” ones
lifestyle with corporal desires that then can all too easily “drown” ones true
potential.

            Lastly just
as fresh air has the power to rejuvenate and revitalize our soul/ body
connection, so also if the “whirlwinds” of the times are not properly harnessed
then these “tornado” like impulses can cause destructive havoc.

           Therefore perhaps we can see learn a profound
lesson in this Torah portion, that it is that the sacred responsibility of our
holy soul  – which corresponds to Avraham
Avinu – needs to take the initiative to besides working on conquering – ie.
transforming the four unhealthy (Kings) qualities of sluggishness, obsessions,
melancholy and arrogance (corresponding to the elements of earthliness, fire,
water and air) into the positive attributes of alacrity, holiness, joy and
humility; we also should pray that our five senses follow sensibility of  the Torah, so as not to become tainted and
corrupted, as did the five kings and their people who lived in the area of
Sidom.

           As to why
Avraham Avinu was specifically motivated to save his nephew is because Lot was
meant to be one of the genetic links to the Mashiach, whose soul is so holy
that he will orchestrate the salvation of the whole world. May it be soon in
our days.

All articles appearing on this blog are copyrighted by Rabbi Yehoshua Binyamin Falk. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to share/download/copy this information as long as it is accompanied by the copyright. Separately authored/copyrighted materia